Rally in Times Square

By Dan Murphy
The grassroots organization Bringourjobshome.com held a rally at Father Duffy Plaza in the middle of Times Square last week to raise awareness and highlight the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs over the past 20 years, and the need to bring those jobs back to the USA.

Bring Our Jobs Home founder Frank Spotorno organized the rally, which included speeches by small business owners, union workers and everyday Americans. Thousands of visitors and passerby stopped and listened to the message, and the ways to bring millions of manufacturing jobs back to America.

“We have to stop the flow of jobs overseas, and start to get the American people to realize that we have to elect representatives who will fight to bring manufacturing jobs home, keep the jobs we still have, support our unions, and fight for the right of every American to have a good-paying job with benefits, and to pursue the American Dream,” said Spotorno.

“This rally, held in the middle of Times Square, continues our efforts to bring attention to the fact our free trade agreements and policies in Washington, D.C., aren’t working for the American middle class,” he continued. “We need to do our homework, and look at the records of our elected officials, and our corporations, and see who is supporting the American worker and who is working against us. Talk is cheap.”

While most of our readers have not heard of a presidential candidate named Robby Wells, his candidacy and message is worthy of your consideration.
“It’s time to bring our jobs home and address our nation’s problems with serious solutions,” said Wells.“Over the past 25 years, we have lost millions of manufacturing jobs as a result of poor legislation in Washington, D.C.

“Our roads and bridges are crumbling. We have been in constant conflict in the Middle East for the past two and a half decades because we are no closer to energy independence. We have an educational system that has sub-par rankings, and our government continues to give away $60 billion in foreign aid.

“I’m seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2016,” continued Wells, who joined the Army National Guard at the age of 37 in the middle of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.“My plan creates millions of jobs to rebuild our infrastructure and obtain energy independence. Bringing the jobs back is not about white or black or Hispanic America; bringing the jobs back is about bringing the United States of America back. This isn’t about red or blue states, it’s time to lay aside our differences.”

Teamsters International Vice President Al Mixon traveled from his home state of Ohio to speak at the Bring Our Jobs Home rally, and was one of the few union leaders who proudly attended.

“We have to acknowledge that putting America back to work is the most valuable investment we can have for our children our grandchildren and our economy,” he said.“Put Americans back to work and bring our jobs home.”

Mixon recently announced that he is running for International Teamsters president against Jimmy Hoffa Jr.

“I’m tired of bad legislation coming from both parties,” he added.“Bad legislation is the realization of the devastation in our nation. We need to buy American and build in America. You cannot continue to put profit over people. We need to hold the people who are outsourcing these jobs and hold them accountable. Bad laws make good people do bad things.

“I’m not afraid to say it and stand here with Frank: Bring the jobs home and put Americans back to work. We also need to take care of every man and woman who fought for our country and put them to work,” said Mixon, whose campaign website for Teamsters president is www.votemixon3m.com.
Spotorno closed the rally by highlighting his message of economic patriotism, and highlighted four specific measures and mistakes made to bring our jobs home.

The failed Bring our Jobs Home Act, a bill in Congress that would give companies a 20 percent tax credit for relocating business units from outside the U.S. back, and stop the current part of the tax code that allows businesses to take tax deductions when they move jobs overseas.
“This common-sense bill would require that our laws and tax code support bringing jobs home,” said Spotorno. “Whoever opposes this bill should be ashamed.”

He said “Buy American” legislation needs to be supported by lawmakers.

Last year, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have required the tax dollars of the State of New Jersey be used to purchase products from American companies for all state agencies, commissions and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It also required construction firms, suppliers and other vendors under public contracts to use or supply materials produced in the U.S.

“This is another common-sense law that puts American companies and workers first,” said Spotorno.“It would increase job creation here in the USA and would do it with our own tax dollars. I completely disagree with Gov. Christie. Recent polls show that Americans would be willing to pay a little bit more for American-made goods and services to help support jobs for Americans. I call this economic patriotism, which puts the interests of everyday middle-class New Yorkers first.”

He also said U.S. corporations need to sit down, analyze and realize that 1 million to 2 million jobs can come back to the U.S. tomorrow if they compare their rising costs of doing business overseas to making it in the USA.

A non-profit group, The Re-Shoring Initiative (reshorenow.org), is led by another economic patriot, founder Harry Moser, who sits down with American corporations and compares their total cost of doing business in China to building it here.

“Every corporation and shareholder and pension fund of that corporation should do the math and bring our jobs home,” said Spotorno.
He added that Free Trade Agreements have killed America’s middle class.

“I will oppose any new or existing Free Trade Agreement,” said Spotorno. “The proposed Trans Pacific Partnership is another bad free trade agreement for this country, and together with all of our free trade agreements, have resulted in the continuing loss of American jobs overseas. Supporters of free trade also say that 95 percent of consumers live outside the USA. But how many of these consumers have the disposable income to buy American goods? Let us oppose TPP and all free trade agreements that don’t put the American worker first.”

Spotorno closed the rally with his thought on the future of the Bring Our Jobs Home movement, and his future; he is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

“We need someone in Washington who will support one cause – bringing some of the millions of manufacturing jobs back to our country,” he said. “We need a Jimmy Stewart to stand up and speak from the heart and tell the truth.

“We finally have candidates for president talking about the loss of jobs to China and Mexico that have crippled the 50 million Americans who live in poverty. But talk is cheap. I will see to it that our jobs come up if you join with us and pick up the flag of economic patriotism,” concluded Spotorno.

Special thanks to Bring Our Jobs Home founding father Mike Rambo, who along with a group of Teamsters quickly erected the stage for the rally. For more information, visit www.bringourjobshome.com.